Letters for Thursday, April 12, 2007

• Jamie a caring father

• Working on a better life

• For shame

• Let the community know

• No farm subsidy cap

• On horrible traffic

Jamie a caring father

I am the mother of Jamie Kaluna’s oldest daughter, Jenna, who along with her brothers, Jamie and Josiah, were there with him during this horrible tragedy (ATV loading accident fatal for ‘Ele‘ele man,” A1, April 10).

My question is, why did the newspaper feel it was necessary to include the last sentence in the article about their father?

Are you that desperate for “juicy material,” or do you feel it relates to his death? Please help me to understand what your intentions were.

Thanks to your article, my daughter and her brothers will return to school and be faced with so much more than questions about their father’s death.

I have known Jamie since the age of 5 and consider him one of the kindest, most decent human beings I have known. He was a true friend, loving son, wonderful brother, caring uncle and a devoted father who wanted the very best for his children.

He spent these past several months getting to know his children by taking them camping, swimming, surfing, and yes, their most favorite — riding ATVs in the sand.

Jamie loved life, and lived every minute to its absolute fullest. His big heart and gentle spirit of aloha will be missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.

Lihu‘e

Working on a better life

The article in the paper Tuesday morning regarding Mr. Jaime Kaluna was very insensitive not only to his family but the many people whose lives Jamie touched. It is sad that the paper will only print the negatives about an individual without touching upon the positives in a person’s life.

Like, did you know that Jamie worked with elderly people for the Kauai Historical Conversation Society? He’d spend a week at a time with elderly men and women and proudly show off his island home of Kaua‘i.

Did you also know that Jamie worked for Na Pali Riders, and as Captain Dennis said, “was the best deckhand he ever hired on the spot.”

Jamie was hired after a quick 10-minute interview. So, although yes, he made his mistakes, he was working on making life better for himself.

‘Ele‘ele

For shame

Just a comment about your news story concerning the tragic accident resulting in the death of Jamie Kaluna. I was angered that you felt it necessary to include the sentence about Jamie’s prison term in the same article reporting his death. How insensitive. Those of us who knew Jamie knew him to be kind, helpful, considerate and thoughtful. Everyone has faults, but we don’t expect them to be published in the paper if tragedy occurs. Were you even giving a thought to Jamie’s family and friends? Obviously not.

Shame on you.

Albuquerque, N.M.

Let the community know

When an inmate is released into the public, we should have some kind of “Amber Alert” to let the public know. Also, a picture of the individual should be included. This way the community that the person resides in can keep a watchful eye on this person.

Maybe the person’s name and picture should be given to the local newspaper to be printed upon the release. It’s true no one wants to be identified for their crime. But, they brought it upon themselves.

Let’s start protecting the people, not the criminal.

‘Ele‘ele

No farm subsidy cap

Any federal government’s allotment for farm subsidies should never have a cap.

Right here on Kaua‘i, where soup kitchens abound, it just goes to show at the tail end of the federal subsidies or local subsidies there still is not enough food to go around, let alone curtail the “incentives” for a farmer to produce the number one basic necessity of all … food itself, then clothing, then shelter, and then transportation. I know, my grandparents, parents and I have been large, small, and midsize farmers all our lives and yours for that matter. If I can’t afford it neither will you.

God forbid.

Kalaheo

On horrible traffic

Letters like the one from the Woerpel family describing their horrible experience with traffic on Kaua‘i (Letters, March 18) have to sadden all of us.

They state “My motivation for writing this letter is to pose the following question to those in positions of authority on the island of Kaua‘i : When will you put an end to building resorts, condos, vacation rentals; when will you do what is necessary to limit the human population on this island; and when will you come to the realization that failing to confront and find equitable (for residents as well as visitors) solutions to these pressing problems will result in disaster for this island’s economy?”

They’re right! Soon everyone will feel that way, visitors will stop coming, and Kaua‘i will officially cease to be the “Garden Island.”

I’ve studied this problem for over a year now by going to Planning Commission meetings and talking with everyone from the subcommittee members and County attorneys to the Mayor. How did this happen? Here is my conclusion:

Nothing is going to change and developments will continue to be approved regardless of what the public wants. The Planning Commission has decided how to vote even before you get a chance to voice your public concerns.

Those making the decisions at the Planning Commission get benefits (present or future jobs) and potentially make money only when they vote “yes.”

There is a severe conflict of interest because the Planning Commission members have jobs that benefit from development, ie. architect and landscape company owners, etc. are on the Commission and can’t vote “no” or they will lose potential business. For most, real estate is their “day job”.

Our local officials, including the Planning Commission, are inexperienced and don’t have the ability to recognize their position of government trust is more important to them than their own self interests. The ex- mayor, many ex- council members and most ex- Planning Commission members are now making big money working for the real estate companies who had their projects helped or approved by them while in office.) Why would they ever vote “No”!?

How do we fix it? No member of the Planning Commission should be in a real estate related business. No member of the County Council, Planning Commission or Mayor’s office should ever be eligible for “fat paying” jobs from those who have received their help or “yes” vote while in office. There are many other things we could put in place to “help” our elected and appointed servants with their lack of insight and shallow characters. Unfortunately, the majority of Kauai’s residents don’t want to get involved and continue to vote for individuals who have created this problem in the first place. It’s a tragedy.

Unless you change the makeup of the system, the system will continue to give you and your family a decreasing quality of life on this island. Kaua‘i will lose the only viable product it has to sell the world — its beauty. All of us, including our government “servants,” will lose.

Kapa‘a